In their endless quest for online vindication in the form of
likes, retweets, and subscribers, some aspiring online personalities go to
extreme lengths, but what many seem to forget is that there is and should be a
distinct line that you do not cross purely in the name of YouTube views. When
it comes to incidents which cross that line, I think most would agree that the
endangerment of innocent animals makes the cut.

Apparently this was not common knowledge amongst a group of
YouTube vloggers who filmed and posted footage of themselves trespassing within
the grounds of Chester Zoo, during which time they allegedly caused alarm among
some of the animals which subsequently led to a Grevy’s Zebra suffering an
injury to its hind leg. While this may seem like a relatively minor incident,
the consequences could potentially have been much worse, and as such Chester
Zoo have publicly condemned the group and announced their intention to pursue
legal action in a clear warning to other would-be trespassers in search of
their 15 minutes of fame.

Jamie Christon, Chester Zoo's chief operating officer, said,
“We’re aware of the small group who trespassed onto the zoo site a couple of
weeks ago and we are taking legal action.

“There was damage to zoo property including a set of
customer toilets following the trespass. It appears that the group also
startled a Grevy’s zebra, an endangered species that we care for as part of a
Europe-wide breeding programme, as the animal had an injury to its hind leg
following the trespass. Thankfully the animal has since been making a good
recovery, helped by our senior keepers and veterinary teams who were quickly on
site.

“With over 15,000 animals in our care, including large
carnivores and predators, trespass onto the site is both unacceptable and
extremely dangerous. The members of the group appear to have little or no
regard for their own safety, or the safety and welfare of the animals.

“We condemn the irresponsible actions of the group and are
taking the matter extremely seriously.”

As for the intent behind the making of the now-deleted
YouTube video, it is believed that the vloggers were taking part in some form
of “overnight challenge” in which they were dared to partake in a series
increasingly dangerous stunts, of which the incident at Chester Zoo was likely
just one among many other potentially harmful and foolish activities, although
that is admittedly pure speculation.